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SEG/Amazon MGM Studios/CBS
Open (Era) For Business
Meet the New Castaways of Survivor 51
From The Futon Critic
|
SURVIVOR revealed today in a YouTube livestream the 21 new castaways who will compete against each other when the Emmy(R) Award-winning series premieres its 51st edition, kicking off the series' new "Open Era" with a special two-hour episode, Wednesday, Sept. 23 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*.
The groundbreaking reality series, which shifts to 90-minute weekly episodes beginning Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 8:00 PM, returns with an all-new expanded class of dynamic and determined competitors. The 51st season marks the first of SURVIVOR's "Open Era," in which every twist, every idol, every advantage in the series' history may come into play in any order and without warning.
Twenty-six years after it first premiered, SURVIVOR continues to prove both the ultimate test of physical and mental will as well as the adventure of a lifetime. Castaways stranded on the beaches of Fiji are tasked with forming a new society, adapting to their surroundings and navigating an unpredictable social game to ensure their torch stays lit. SURVIVOR, currently nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Reality Competition Program, is hosted by five-time Emmy winner Jeff Probst.
The following 21 new Castaways, including a professional wrestler, sociology professor, medical student, baseball executive and farmer, are set to embark on the adventure of a lifetime on SURVIVOR 51, where they will test their endurance, strategy and willpower in pursuit of the title of Sole Survivor and the $1 million grand prize.
- Aaliyah Puglia (24; Gloucester City, NJ; chef)
- Alexis Levine (34; Atlanta; criminal defense attorney)
-
An "Thien An" Nguyen (24; Fort Worth, TX; medical student)
- Ana Sani (34; Richmond Hill, ON; voice actress - "Strawberry Shortcake")
- Angelica "Jelly" Loblack (29; Garland, TX; sociology professor)
- Brady Booker (27; La Salle, IL; pro wrestler with AEW)
-
Carter Krull (24; Rock Rapids, IA; livestock farmer)
- Cristian Chavez (26; Salt Lake City; head of HR)
- Danny "Kilby" Kilby (30; Mount Forest, ON; game designer)
-
Devin Way (33; Lufkin, TX; actor)
- Erick Macksoud (34; Lincoln, RI; mental health counselor)
- Jenna Doore (30; Perrysburg, OH; wedding photographer)
- Kristin Flickinger (49; Ketchum, ID; crisis management)
- Lewis Kelly (28; Dublin, IRL; farmer)
-
Linnea Capobianco (25; Kearny, NJ; entrepreneur)
- Maggie Nestor (40; Middleway, WV; farmer)
- Mike Pinsky (32; New York City; executive of baseball operations for the New York Yankees)
- Ori Jean-Charles (27; Spring Valley, NY;
personal trainer)
- Patt Cannaday (33; Tampa; federal prosecutor)
- Rob Antonson (40;
Johnston, RI; airline gate agent)
- Sharonda Cox (34; Pompano Beach, FL; resident OBGYN)
The Futon Critic
TV Insider
Variety
Entertainment Weekly
The Wrap
TV Line
Deadline
TV Line
Entertainment Weekly
TV Insider
TV Line
The Hollywood Reporter |
posted 9/23/2026 |
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Netflix Studios
More on "The Golden Ticket"
Netflix Clones Gene Wilder's Voice, Releases Trailer
From the Futon Critic
|
Wonka’s The Golden Ticket is dusting off an iconic set piece from the beloved 1971 film starring Gene Wilder.
People reports that the upcoming Netflix game show will feature Wonkavision 2.0, a revamped stage styled after the all-white broadcast studio featured in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. In the original film, Wonkavision 2.0 is where Mike Teavee, played by Paris Themmen, was schooled on the effects of TV addiction.
The studio will hold some of Wonka’s The Golden Ticket’s challenges, including “Wheel of Misfortune,” “Bubble Jeopardy” and “Steal or No Steal.” Those games will be hosted by game show regulars Howie Mandel (Deal or No Deal, America’s Got Talent), Nick Cannon (The Masked Singer, America’s Got Talent) and Wayne Brady (Let’s Make a Deal, Don’t Forget the Lyrics!), who will each appear via hologram.
Wonka’s The Golden Ticket showrunners Alison Holloway and Emer Harkin tell People they chose Mandel, 70, Cannon, 45, and Brady, 54, because they are “national treasures beloved for their unpredictable sense of fun and comedy,” and “they fit perfectly into our whimsical Wonka world.” They went on to describe Mandel as the “living embodiment of Willy Wonka,” as he “channeled Gene on set.”
Wonkavision 2.0 will feature a “vanishing” illusion, where contestants will “disappear” into and be “transported” between sets. Designed by Australian magician and magic consultant Adam Mada, the illusions use a fade box where contestants can be seen disappearing and reappearing on the studio monitors in real time.
“It is a beautiful illusion which uses no camera tricks at all, no post and no editing,” Mada tells PEOPLE. “And it works as well as it does for the camera as it does for the real live contestants inside the set. They actually watch the contestants fade and disappear in front of their eyes.”
Holloway tells PEOPLE the contestants were “riveted” by Mada’s illusions, as well as other “mind-boggling tricks."
Over the course of nine episodes, viewers will see 12 contestants take part in a series of increasingly wacky challenges in the hopes of winning a “lifetime’s supply of money” (approximately $3 million, calculated as an annual six-figure salary over 30 years), all played out on Wonka-themed set pieces, including the famous elevator and, of course, the edible candy room, complete with chocolate waterfall.
The Futon Critic
Deadline
The Wrap
Variety
TV Line
The Hollywood Reporter
Gizmodo
Consequence of Sound
Vulture
AV Club
Unilad
Reality Blurred
The Futon Critic
Gizmodo
Variety
Reality Tea
People
TV Insider
BRUTALLY HONEST REVIEW: Reality Blurred
BRUTALLY HONEST REVIEW: The Telegraph
BRUTALLY HONEST REVIEW: Variety
The Wrap
Variety
Primetimer
Swooon |
posted 9/23/2026 |
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Keller/Noll Sets Sequence
New Show Based on Hit Board Game
From Deadline |
Cleve Keller and Dave Noll, the format creators behind Chopped, America Says and Flip Side, are bringing a new game show format to the small screen. The duo are teaming with Goliath and Perfect Game on Celebrity Sequence, based on Goliath’s global hit board game Sequence.
The series, which is in development, reimagines Goliath’s Sequence as a star-driven, high-energy studio competition built around a 16-card game board, polling questions, celebrity assists, wild jacks and a $100,000 endgame.
In Celebrity Sequence, teams select cards on a giant game board and answer polling questions with help from one of three celebrities. Strategy, instinct and showmanship collide as players race to build their Sequence – until one team advances to the Ultimate Sequence round for a chance to win $100,000.
“Celebrity Sequence is part Match Game, part Family Feud — and all Sequence,” said Noll. “The board game has that rare mix of simplicity, strategy and instant replay-ability. Our job is to honor what people already love about it, then blow it up into a big, funny, celebrity-fueled television format.”
Goliath previously teamed with Kelly/Noll on Shark Bite, which is in the final stages of development.
Keller/Noll was sought out for the Goliath partnership by Perfect Game, which holds exclusive global media rights to Goliath games.
First introduced more than four decades ago, Sequence has sold more than 50 million units in more than 100 countries. The franchise has expanded into 60 different editions, including Paw Patrol Sequence, Sequence Junior, Sequence Cats & Dogs, Sequence Dice, Sequence Stacks, Sequence Jacks Go Wild, Jumbo Sequence and Sequence Deluxe.
Deadline
C21 Media
Realscreen
|
posted 9/23/2026 |
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Celebrity Secrets Revealed!
New Season of "Million Dollar Secret" Invites Stars to Play
From the Futon Critic |
Netflix today announced Celebrity Million Dollar Secret as the next iteration of the competitive unscripted format, Million Dollar Secret. In this version, celebrities will try their hand at the ultimate game of deception.
The series will premiere in 2027. The cast...
- Adam Rippon (Olympian)
-
Adam Scherr (Pro Wrestling Icon)
-
Brianna LaPaglia (Podcaster)
-
Bridget Everett (Comedian)
-
Chelley Bissainthe (Host, Love Songs)
- Chloe Veitch (Host, Sneaky Links)
-
Chris Redd (Comedian)
-
Christine Quinn (Selling Sunset)
-
David Arquette (Actor, Scarpetta)
-
Dom Gabriel (Perfect Match)
-
Melora Hardin (Emmy-Nominated Actress)
-
Phoebe Robinson (Comedian)
-
West Wilson (Summer House).
Faced with elimination and sequestered in a lavish mansion, a slew of celebrity contestants must outwit their competition and identify the recipient of a million dollars hiding among them. This time the stakes are higher than ever, as the players are all public figures who have even fewer places to hide as they navigate the ever-changing game of deception. Do they have what it takes to keep their Million Dollar Secret?
Hosted by Peter Serafinowicz, "Million Dollar Secret" is produced by Wheelhouse Studios.
The Futon Critic
Reality Tea
Yahoo!/Mandatory
TV Insider
|
posted 9/23/2026 |
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Fremantle/Syco/NBC
AGT Could Be Moving Shop
Talent Hit Could Be Exiting California
From Deadline
|
California is struggling to keep its iconic reality competition shows filming in the Golden State after it emerged that another long-running series is considering an exit. America’s Got Talent is the latest that might move production out of California for its next season, coming days after Deadline revealed that American Idol is on its way to Georgia.
Deadline reports that no final decision has been made, but Fremantle and Simon Cowell’s Syco are considering moving the NBC show to Georgia or Tennessee, per a TMZ report, ahead of Season 22.
It would not be the first time the show taped outside of California - the show's seventh & ninth seasons were shot at NJPAC outside New York.
Deadline
TMZ
Reality Tea
TV Insider
|
posted 9/23/2026 |
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Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery
We Have Come To Terms...
Paramount Offers Concessions to Close WBD Acquisition
From the BBC
|
Paramount Skydance has settled a lawsuit with dozens of US states, removing a major hurdle to its $110bn merger with Warner Bros Discovery.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta told a news conference that state officials agreed to terms after securing commitments to protect competition across film and television, and broadcasting.
Still, "the settlement is not a vote of support for this merger," Bonta said. "I don't think these two companies should merge."
Paramount chief executive David Ellison hailed the resolution, saying: "Our shared aim was an outcome that best serves consumers, workers and - most importantly -the creative community so vital to the art of visual storytelling."
In a statement, Ellison said that now the state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) concerns had been addressed, "we have complete clearance for this merger and look forward to putting these commitments into action".
Ellison had previously threatened to move studio operations out of California. However, the WGA said it continues to believe the deal "will cause damage to writers and the industry at large".
The guild said it was forced to settle its own lawsuit because, as a non-profit, it could not afford to fight the merger alone without government support.
The studio is set to pay $17.5m into the WGA health fund, cover legal fees, and prohibit writer layoffs at CBS News Broadcast for five years.
Bonta said the settlement will help boost film production in the US.
Under the agreement, Paramount must release at least 30 films each year. To prevent the studio from fulfilling its annual quota with low-budget or automated content, Bonta said there were strict guardrails against "AI-generated" films. Officials wanted to guarantee "real, robust movies" that generate economic activity and put people back to work, he added. If Paramount fails to meet its annual production quota, it will be forced to sell its 49% stake in Miramax.
"Divestitures are part of our solutions to all three markets," Bonta said, arguing the deal turned what could have been a "falling off the cliff in domestic production into a huge increase," leading to more movies, jobs, and economic activity.
Though Ellison previously indicated the merged company would keep its headquarters in California for the foreseeable future, Bonta clarified that this commitment was not written into the legal agreement. "It's not part of the deal," Bonta said. To ensure remaining terms are enforced, Paramount has agreed to the appointment of an independent monitor to oversee ongoing compliance with the settlement.
California led the legal push alongside a coalition of state attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, and New Jersey.
Under the deal's initial terms, Paramount must ensure 20% of all film production takes place in the US for the first two years, rising over 30% over the following three years.
While mergers typically lead to corporate overlap and redundancies, Bonta maintained that it would be a "job creator" that will put people back to work across the industry.
Thanks to the deal, Bonta said that economic activity would be "$300m to $1.5bn more, at minimum, for film and TV production right here in our country".
"Importantly, that is the baseline. That is the minimum," Bonta said, noting that production commitments could surge by up to 700% if Congress passes a federal film tax credit.
DEVELOPMENTS SINCE...
-
Shares in Paramount ended Tuesday’s trading at $10.11, down almost 25% in 2026 to date. The stock slumped late in the day Monday despite the settlement due to concerns about potential costs tied to when it manages to complete the $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery. Paramount has promised to pay a “ticking fee” of about $7 million a day to WBD shareholders if the deal is still pending as of October 1.
- Paramount’s deal with the 12 state attorneys general to settle their antitrust lawsuit over the Warner Bros. Discovery merger is not official just yet: The judge in the case has some “outstanding questions” about the settlement, which requires her approval before it takes effect. In an order issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin granted the parties’ motion to vacate the hearing about Paramount’s previous motion to require the states (and the WGA) to post $1.88 billion bond to cover the company’s financial losses in the event it prevailed in court. That had been scheduled for Sept. 24.
- Paramount executives have discussed seeking an equity investment from Elon Musk as they prepare to close the acquisition of Warner. Bros. Discovery, according to a Semafor report today.
The Futon Critic
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Variety
|
posted 9/21/2026 |
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Shea Communications
TIM JANUS: 1976-2026
Major League Eating's "Eater X" Played "Race", "Millionaire"
From Us Weekly |
Tim Janus, a competitive eater who appeared on season 30 of The Amazing Race, has died. He was 49.
Janus, also known as Eater X, died “from complications following a long battle with cancer” on September 16, his publicist confirmed in an obituary shared via Major League Eating on Sunday, September 20.
“Tim followed his own passions and dreams without regard for the pressures or expectations of society,” Crazy Legs Conti, Janus’s former roommate and a former world oyster-eating champion, noted in the tribute. “He was unique, brilliant and beloved by his friends. He lived his life on his own terms.”
Born in Simsbury, Connecticut, Janus graduated from Southern Methodist University with a degree in political science and public policy. As an adult, he lived in New York City’s East Village.
Janus spent 12 years in the competitive eating world, from 2006 to 2018. Known for competing in a face-painted Viking mask, he reached No. 2 in world rankings and became “one of the defining personalities of what participants called the sport’s ‘trophy era.’”
Janus was once crowned the world ramen eating champion after he consumed 10.5 pounds in just under eight minutes. He was also named the nigiri world eating champion after eating 141 pieces in six minutes. Back in 2014, Janus competed in the famous Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on the 4th of July, downing 44 hot dogs.
Janus is also credited with introducing the Alternative Beverage Movement to the sport, allowing competitors to have drinks like lemonade or fruit punch at the table instead of only water.
In 2016, Janus was inducted into the Major League Eating Hall of Fame after retiring from the sport
. “I tell people that I learned a lot about life by eating hot dogs, and I mean it,” he said at the time. “If you care about something and work hard at it, it makes you better.”
In addition to being a competitive eater, Janus appeared on several TV game shows. He joined fellow competitive eater Joey Chestnut on The Amazing Race in 2018, but the duo were eliminated in the fourth leg. Janus also became the largest Cash Cab winner in history after taking home $1,600 in 2011. During an appearance on the syndicated version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2009, Janus won $100,000.
Janus was also an adventurer who traveled to Australia to track crocodiles and snakes in the wild, milked a cow and appeared as a TV weatherman on an evening news broadcast.
Shortly before receiving his cancer diagnosis, Janus was accepted into the United States Foreign Service and planned to serve abroad on assignment.
Janus is survived by his mother, Lucinda Hannon, his father, Peter Janus, his stepmother, Nancy Janus, and his sister, Tess McNair. A celebration of life is planned for October in New York City.
Us Weekly
New York Daily News
Entertainment Weekly
TV Insider
Major League Eating
The Sun
SILive.com
|
posted 9/23/2026 |
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Fremantle/Fox
Judge Down
Simon Cowell to Miss "AGT" Finale; KSI to Judge
From TV Line
|
It’s been about a month since America’s Got Talent fans found out that Simon Cowell would be missing the Season 21 Live Shows for an unspecified amount of time, and it now looks like he won’t be returning to the judges’ table in 2026 at all.
On the afternoon of September 22, just hours before Night 1 of the finale, NBC announced that KSI would be stepping in as a guest judge for both the September 22 and September 23 episodes. No updates about Cowell’s condition were given and the music mogul has not shared any information on his own social media.
Cowell joined Mel B., Howie Mandel, and Sofia Vergara for the first Quarterfinals episode of Season 21 on August 18. Ahead of Week 2 on August 25, though, it was revealed that he would be missing some upcoming Live Shows. He has not returned since.
Cowell missed his first live episode on August 25, with Crews explaining to the viewers, "You may have noticed that Simon Cowell is not here. He's having an operation that cannot be postponed. It's not an emergency, but it can't be put off. Simon, we are sending you our very best wishes for a speedy recovery and are looking forward to seeing you at the judges' desk very soon."
“I want to wish all the finalists tonight the best of luck,” Cowell said. “I am so sad I won’t be there in person, but I will be watching from home.” He also warned guest judge KSI to “hold onto your water when Mel B. is around.”
Reality Tea
TMZ
People
TV Line
TV Line
Deadline
Reality TV World
Reality Tea
TV Line
TV Insider
Deadline
TV Insider
TV Insider
People |
posted 9/3/2026 |
 |
Wednesday Lightning Round
... or "I'M SELLING EQUITY IN A COMPANY!" |
- VIDEO WALL: MrBeast among the guest Sharks in the Tank this season (The Futon Critic)
- BBC poised to shut down BBC Three.... again (Deadline)
- Alyssa Edwards slams Ken Paxton for using her in campaign for Senate (The Wrap)
- BTS: Inside "Game Changer's" 23-contestant, 90-minute, sponsored-by-Chili's season finale (Variety)
- FIRST LOOK: Jamie Foxx's "Take Care of Yourself" (Variety)
- Tyra Banks drops video edits in defamation case (Deadline)
- Adele Zaikman reportedly dating a fellow castmate. (Us Weekly)
- Wayne Brady's daughter Maile to star as Eponine in Les Miserables (Reality Tea)
- Witney Carson in her boy-mom era; she's expecting boy #3 (Reality TV World)
|

posted 9/14/2023 |
 |

Getty
ANJANETTE COMER: 1939-2026
Actress Played "The Movie Game"
From the Hollywood Reporter |
Anjanette Comer, the 1960s ingenue who had leading roles in The Loved One, The Appaloosa and The Baby but passed on two major starring opportunities that could have transformed her career, has died. She was 86.
Comer died May 28 at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, according to a death certificate filed with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health that was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. She battled leukemia and had heart issues.
Comer had chances to star opposite Robert Redford in Barefoot in the Park and alongside Warren Beatty in Bonnie and Clyde, but she declined to work in both landmark 1967 releases, and Jane Fonda and Faye Dunaway, respectively, were the ones who would ultimately benefit.
In a 1981 interview with UPI’s Vernon Scott, Comer said she rejected both jobs because she “had this very important relationship with a man, an actor, who didn’t want me to work in movies. At that time I was young and naive.” She added that she “hated her career.”
The green-eyed Comer, who came from a small town in Texas, also didn’t do herself any favors when she backpedaled on starring with Michael Caine in Funeral in Berlin (1966), a sequel to the Harry Palmer spy thriller The Ipcress File. Unknown to producer Harry Saltzman, she left Germany during filming to be with her boyfriend on weekends and was replaced by Eva Renzi.
“I had a reputation for being crazy because I’d walked out on Funeral in Berlin,” Comer said. “And I guess I was crazy. You see, I didn’t build my career slowly like most successful actresses do. After a couple of TV appearances, I became an instant movie star. I didn’t know how to handle it all emotionally.”
Comer’s résumé included the Tony Curtis-starring Lepke (1975), Fire Sale (1977), Steven Soderbergh’s The Underneath (1995) and A Bird of the Air (2011) and TV guest-starring stints on Bonanza, Mod Squad, Love, American Style, Mannix, Columbo, Jake and the Fatman, The Blue Knight, Hotel and The Practice.
In game shows, Comer was featured on episodes of The Movie Game.
The romance that led Comer to lose focus on her career in the ’60s never came to anything, but she was married to author, screenwriter and director Robert Klane (Weekend at Bernie’s, Where’s Poppa?, Fire Sale, Thank God It’s Friday) from 1976 until their 1983 divorce.
Survivors include her older sister, Jerra Tillman, who when contacted did not want to comment on Comer’s death.
The Hollywood Reporter
WPXI Pittsburgh
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posted 9/22/2026 |
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Sony Pictures TV/CBS Media Ventures
Wheel with Friends
Wheel of Fortune Teams with Words with Friends
From Bleeding Cool
|
Zynga has launched a new collaboration event for Words With Friends, with Vanna White dropping into the game for the Wheel of Fortune event.
Starting today, fans can buy a vowel across both screens as Words With Friends makes its Wheel of Fortune debut. Known as the all-in-one word game destination, Words With Friends has brought millions of players together through a shared love of words, from classic head-to-head matches with friends to solo games and daily challenges.
Currently airing its 44th season in syndication and streaming on Peacock, Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ in the US and on Crave in Canada, Wheel of Fortune continues to be one of the most successful and beloved game shows in television history. Now, the two-word icons are coming together on the same board and giving fans new ways to play, whether they're watching from the couch or making their next move in-game.
- Words With Friends Week on Wheel of Fortune (Sept 21-25): Each night during the integration will feature a Words with Friends puzzle using the crossword puzzle category. During the round, the puzzleboard will be stylized to resemble the Words With Friends game board, with random spaces featuring a DL (Double Letter) or TL (Triple Letter) icon. When a contestant correctly calls a consonant that is placed on one of those spaces, the value of the wedge they landed on will be doubled or tripled accordingly.
-
In-Game Event: Words With Friends players can channel their inner contestant as letters are revealed on a Wheel of Fortune-style puzzle board right inside the app. Play words in a Classic match, uncover a hidden phrase one letter at a time, and solve it to win limited-edition in-game rewards – like a Wheel of Fortune tile style available only for six months.
-
Vanna White Joins the Fun: Long-time Wheel of Fortune co-host and Words With Friends player Vanna White brings the crossover to life with new promotional videos celebrating the partnership and putting her own word-game skills to the test.
Beeding Cool
Pocket Gamer
TV Insider
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posted 9/21/2026 |
 |

BBC Studios Los Angeles/ABC
Coming Out the Gate Hot
DWTS S35 Bumps Up in Audience
From Deadline
|
On the heels of Tuesday night, which delivered the show's most-watched premiere in six years, night two of the "Dancing with the Stars" premiere week scored 6.44 million Total Viewers and a 1.32 rating among Adults 18-49 Wednesday night.
"Dancing with the Stars" ranked as TV's No. 1 show in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 on both Tuesday and Wednesday across all entertainment programming, including viewership of streaming originals, based on newly available overnight Nielsen Streaming Content Ratings.
Tuesday's premiere (6.77 million and 1.44 rating) topped its nearest linear competitor, NBC's "America's Got Talent," by +53% in Total Viewers (4.43 million) and by +260% in Adults 18-49 (0.40 rating), and led its nearest competitors on streaming, Paramount+'s "Special Ops: Lioness" (848,000 Total Viewers on day 3 of availability for its most recent episode) and HBO Max's "Lanterns" (0.35 Adults 18-49 rating on day 3 of availability for its most recent episode).
Wednesday's special telecast led its nearest competition in primetime on linear, NBC's "America's Got Talent-Wed" (3.82 million) in Total Viewers and CBS' "Big Brother-Wed" (0.58 rating) in Adults 18-49, and outperformed the day's top streaming title, Amazon's "Reacher" (4.79 million and 1.08 rating, respectively, on the premiere day of its most recent episode) in both measures.
In Adults 18-49, "Dancing with the Stars" Night 1 (1.44 rating) and Night 2 (1.32 rating) stand as TV's two biggest entertainment telecasts since ABC's presentation of "The Oscars(R)" (3/15/26).
Tuesday's season premiere jumped +35% over last year's premiere among Adults 18-49 (1.44 rating vs. 1.07 rating), with the show's best premiere performance in the key Adult demographic in nine years - since 9/18/17.
In addition, among young women, "Dancing with the Stars" scored its best season premiere delivery among Women 18-34 (2.50 rating) in 13 years - since the Season 17 premiere on 9/16/13.
Wednesday's 10 p.m. first-ever "DWTS After Party" delivered a 0.48 rating in Adults 18-49, scoring the best 10 p.m. telecast of any network in over 2 1/2 years - since 2/28/24, with NBC's "Chicago PD," based on regularly-scheduled entertainment programming, excluding NFL/event lead-in nights.
Deadline
The Wrap
Variety
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posted 9/21/2026 |
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IMDb
JAMES SLOYAN: 1941-2026
Actor Played "Match Game/Hollywood Squares"
From the Hollywood Reporter |
James Sloyan, the busy character actor who appeared in films including The Sting and Xanadu and played Madeline Kahn’s husband on her short-lived 1980s ABC sitcom, has died. He was 85.
Sloyan died July 22 at his home in Sherman Oaks, his family announced over the weekend.
Star Trek fans know him for his five appearances as a member of four species across The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager in the 1990s, and he served as the voice of Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus in commercials for 18 years starting in 1989.
In George Roy Hill’s The Sting (1973), winner of the Oscar for best picture, Sloyan helped set the plot in motion with his turn as Mottola, the numbers runner who works for racketeer Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw) and falls victim to a “pigeon drop scam” perpetrated by Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) and Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones). And in the Olivia Newton-John musical fantasy Xanadu (1980), he played Simpson, the tyrannical boss of Michael Beck’s artist Sonny Malone at AirFlow Records.
Sloyan landed the role of Kahn’s husband, a guy who writes steamy romance novels under the pen name Crystal Love, but the 1983-84 show — the first produced by Carsey-Werner Productions — lasted just 18 episodes.
Sloyan, who moved to California in 1973, appeared in The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight (1971) and on episodes of The Doctors, The Streets of San Francisco, Kojak and Delvecchio before landing a regular role on the 1977 ABC drama Westside Medical. He played a Romulan admiral and then the son of the Klingon Worf (Michael Dorn) on Next Generation, the Bajoran scientist Dr. Mora on Deep Space Nine and the Haakonian scientist Ma’bor Jetrel on Voyager.
His TV résumé also included the telefilms The Disappearance of Aimee, starring Faye Dunaway and Bette Davis, and The Billionaires Boys Club and stops on Wonder Woman, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Lou Grant, Falcon Crest, Knots Landing, Cagney & Lacey, Moonlighting, Murder, She Wrote, Quantum Leap, The X-Files and NYPD Blue.
Sloyan's sole game show appearance was a week's worth of episodes of "The Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour".
“Friends and colleagues remember him always present, always curious, courageous, inventive and loyal as well as brash, mouthy and very urban. He was one-of-a-kind,” his family said.
Survivors include his wife, actress Deirdre Lenihan (Needles and Pins, The Waltons), whom he married in 1973, and their children, Daniel, a musician, and Samantha Sloyan, an actress (The Life of Chuck, Dr. Penelope Blake on Grey’s Anatomy). His brother, author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Patrick Sloyan, died in February 2019.
The Hollywood Reporter
Parade
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posted 9/21/2026 |
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Monday Lightning Round
... or "Quite the Smolder" |
- Ken Jennings looks like a true crime author in this spot... so sayeth Ken Jennings (People)
- Taylor Frankie Paul says she's done with "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" amidst bullying and a failed drug screen (The Wrap)
- A FEW GOOD MINUTES with James O'Halloran (TV Insider)
|

posted 9/21/2023 |
 |

Studio Lambert/Peacock
A Killer Renewal
"Traitors" Renewed for Three More Seasons; Meet the Cast of the 2027 Season
From the Futon Critic
|
Alan Cumming is set to banish more celebrities after Peacock handed The Traitors a supersized three-season renewal. The mystery entertainment series has been picked up through Season 8 at the NBCUniversal streamer.
It comes after the Studio Lambert-produced show won its third consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition Program and Cumming won his third consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Host for a Reality Or Reality Competition Program. The show itself came home with seven Emmy nominations and wins.
After winning the Emmy on Sunday, Cumming said: “The audience is so amazing. It is so diverse, and it’s just incredible the way you all get together and watch the show together. That is so beautiful, that a show about treachery and betrayal brings people together.”
The move is not a surprise given that the show is Peacock’s second-biggest title after Love Island USA, and its fourth season, which premiered in January, was up 72% over Season 3.
The three-season renewal comes after The Traitors was already renewed for Season 5, which will premiere next year. Before that, NBC will air a civilian version of the show, premiering on September 17
"The Traitors" will be back next year with an all-new celebrity lineup of 23 reality and pop culture icons set to compete, deceive and bring the heat to the roundtable.
The celebrity contestants participating are:
· Bianca Del Rio ("RuPaul's Drag Race")
· Boman Martinez-Reid (Content Creator)
· Bronwyn Newport ("The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City")
· Casey Wilson (Actress)
· Chloe Kim (Olympic Snowboarder)
· Cody Simpson (Singer)
· Craig Conover ("Southern Charm")
· Cynthia Bailey ("The Real Housewives of Atlanta")
· Dominic Monaghan (Actor)
· Emira D'Spain ("Next Gen NYC")
· Gizelle Bryant ("The Real Housewives of Potomac")
· Iain Stirling (Comedian / "Love Island")
· Jag Bains ("Big Brother" / "Amazing Race")
· JaNa Craig ("Love Island USA")
· Joey Graziadei ("The Bachelor")
· Johnny Sibilly (Actor)
· Kristin Chenoweth (Actress / Singer)
· Michele Fitzgerald ("Survivor" / "The Challenge")
· Q Burdette ("Survivor")
· Rachel Robinson ("The Challenge")
· Rashad Jennings (NFL Star)
· Taylor Hale ("Big Brother" / "Amazing Race")
· Whitney Leavitt ("The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives")
Meanwhile, NBC's "The Traitors: New Blood" has just debuted, featuring everyday Americans competing for the prize. New episodes air Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and stream the next day on Peacock.
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posted 9/18/2026 |
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I Think I Can Beat Wayne Rooney
BBC Greenlights Soccer Quiz
From BBC Media Centre |
Fresh from answering Erling Haaland's challenge to fulfil his World Cup rowing pledge and take to New York's Hudson River after Norway's dramatic World Cup victory over Brazil, Wayne Rooney is returning to the BBC this autumn for his biggest challenge yet: taking on a new guest every week in a battle of football (C-Note: or soccer for us Yanks) knowledge.
The BBC's visualised podcast Can You Beat Wayne Rooney? will see the former England captain and Manchester United legend put his football brain to the test against a series of famous faces from the worlds of sport, entertainment and popular culture.
Hosted by comedian Alex Brooker and available to watch on BBC Sport's Football YouTube channel and BBC iPlayer and to listen to on BBC Sounds and all major podcast platforms, the weekly series combines football trivia, fierce competition and unforgettable stories from one of the greatest careers in the game.
While guests will arrive convinced they can beat him, every question unlocks a story from Wayne's extraordinary journey through football, taking audiences behind the scenes of dressing rooms, title races, international tournaments and some of the sport's most iconic moments.
Whether revisiting famous goals, legendary teammates or career-defining matches, Can You Beat Wayne Rooney? offers football fans a unique opportunity to hear the stories behind the headlines while watching Wayne's competitive side emerge as he tries to protect his reputation against a fresh challenger every week.
Wayne Rooney said: “Anyone who knows me knows I’m competitive, whether it’s on a football pitch, playing paddle or on a golf course and even rowing on the Hudson River. When Erling called me out to honour my challenge after Norway beat Brazil, there was no way I was backing out. That’s probably why I know I’m going to enjoy this series so much. We’ve evolved the podcast to lean into that competitive side of my personality, because I know that’s something the people love to see. Every guest will turn up thinking they can beat me and, honestly, I don’t like losing. A single question can take you straight back to a dressing room, a match or a moment you haven’t thought about in years. We’ve got some great guests lined up, plenty of laughs and some fantastic football conversations".
Alex Brooker said: “Wayne is an absolute winner, he hates losing. I can’t wait to see every guest arrive trying to take him down and Wayne determined not to let it happen! Add in the incredible stories that come from the questions and you’ve got something football fans are going to love. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Can You Beat Wayne Rooney? will be available from Autumn on BBC Sounds, BBC Sport's Football YouTube channel, BBC iPlayer and all major podcast platforms. It will be produced in Manchester by Persephonica, the company behind popular BBC Sounds podcast Games Gone: The Steve Bracknall Podcast, among others.
BBC Media Centre
Manchester Evening News
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posted 9/18/2026 |
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Happy Friday Lightning Round
... or "CW20" |
- The CW turns 20 (Deadline)
- American Idol alum Caleb Flynn on trial for murdering his wife, cheating afterwards (TMZ)
- FIRST LOOK: Cash Course opens on "Let's Make a Deal" Monday (TV Insider)
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posted 9/18/2023 |
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